Elsa mantua inspiration-2

I’m still working through my files, so here is another of my favourite Mantua. A deep blue silk covered in silver embroidery.

LACMA, Woman’s Dress (Mantua) with Stomacher and Petticoat
Italy, circa 1700 https://collections.lacma.org/node/170609

Right now I don’t have access to the printed materials so I’m mostly inspired by the over all effect, and as my lace has a very uneven but scalloped hem I’m using this to help with what to do with it. I wish I had noticed the hem protection earlier as I am going to want that, and I can do that by machine. If the machine work is over in my lace I’m going to reserve my hand sewing for where it will have impact.

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Elsa inspired mantua

Finally, I’ve started to get back to projects. I really need something with no rules, and makes use of two very pretty but modern fabrics, a shot blue taffeta and a heavy fully sequined lace. It was very hard to decide between my two designs. My few rules are it does stick to historic cut, and to use up all of both fabrics. 4m of the lace, I think it was 9m of the blue.

Deciding to go all in on an early Mantua by pinning my lace the full width? Wow.

https://www.instagram.com/p/CZWBrXKFRv4/

I started adding all of my references but I think I should do that over a few posts so I can focus on each properly.

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elsa cape dye success!

ELSA CAPE DYE SUCCESS!

by admin, January 30, 2015

 

Confession, the old colour looked way too deep in shadow so I removed the colour. But the fabric went a blotchy silver with a few blue patches. So to the shame pile it went.
I finally used a tiny tiny tiny amount of turquoise iDye poly on the dress (to brighten the hem mainly) and that went well so I topped up with enough blue to dye the cape and basically use the turquoise and green (released from the hem) to knock the purple out of the dye.
Voila! The wind also kicked up beautifully.
Just never ask me to iron crystalline tulle ever again. Ever.
Ever.

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elsa :)

ELSA 🙂

by admin, January 5, 2015

Cape will be replaced, the shirt screen printed (sequins rat up the plait!!!!) And I am kicking myself I didn’t put horsehair braid along the top edge like I wanted. The colours are fairly true though 🙂 My dress is baby blue in one direction, turquoise in another and the cape is a very true turquoise. Definitely using my experience with the

I’ll also definitely need to put in an elastic stay at the waist- the bodice slips down due to several factors- none of which I want to alter too much.

But so many children just randomly made happy, or shy, or both!

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elsa- the basic dress is nearly there :)

ELSA- THE BASIC DRESS IS NEARLY THERE 🙂

by admin, January 1, 2015

The dress as of a few hours ago after a ridiculous “tidy”. Wherein I actually start splashing latex and realising I can’t sew pretty stuff with magenta latex uncured around the place….P

Possible the most true to life ombre effect.

The cape print is slightly off and so too was the cutting- but it needed trimming to size anyway, just sad to lose that lovely leading edge (closest to my toes (hello little crooked toes- this is why I never did pointe! Check out the difference in toe sizes!)

And then I painted the new hem 🙂

Whoops! That’ll need waterblasting…

 

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